


I See You

by Not_So_Typical_Girl



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay Will Byers, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Sharing a Bed, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-10-14 17:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17512475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Typical_Girl/pseuds/Not_So_Typical_Girl
Summary: Mike Wheeler has two soulmarks, one bonding him to El, and the other to Will. Will is aware that Mike is his soulmate, but Mike stays unknowing. Mike is persistent in claiming he doesn't want anything to do with his second soulmate, as "El is the only one" he needs. Will's heart breaks, but he keeps it quiet as to not lose his friendship. Unfortunately, he begins to lose it anyway as time goes on, Mike becoming more and more focused on El, letting Will slip from his mind. This pushes Will over the edge, and it all comes out. *Byler centric, happy ending*





	1. Attrition

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. A couple of things: This is a Byler centric story, it's got Mileven in it, but it's more there for the drama of things. If you don't ship Byler at all, I suggest clicking off now. (Just putting that out there due to problems in my last fic). I have all of this fic written out so updates should be consistent, there's a Byler filled Happy Ending. Updates should be every Tuesday and Friday! Thanks for reading :)

  _"So. I have two soulmarks." Mike suddenly announced to the party as he sat down to lunch in the Hawkins High cafeteria. There was a blunt and apathetic tone in his voice, almost angry._

_"Wait, what??" Lucas asked, scrunching his face up in disbelief._

_Mike nodded, pulling down his sleeve to reveal his shoulder. "Yeah. Look." Mike pointed to it. There it was, a second mark. It was three pointed blob shape, striped with a gold and blue pattern. It was a rather pretty mark, honestly. But it sent Will's heart into flight. Will recognized the mark. Mike was his match. Will had the same exact mark on the front of his hip. Hope started to flood his mind. Eleven was Mike's soulmate, all of them knew it, but Will had still felt intensely for Mike. Now, maybe Will knew why._

_"Oh! I've heard of that happening, actually. Sometimes people have two soulmates. Souls are complex things, it can take more than one person to complete them." Dustin commented simply._

_"I'm already complete. I don't want anyone else, and I don't want anything to do with my other 'soulmate.' I hope I never find them. Nobody is getting between me and El." Mike said, nearly lashing out while putting his arm around Eleven. Will's heart began to beat faster in a different way this time, one of cold fear._

_"But Mike, you can't just deny your soulmate connection. It's not fair to either---" Max tried to reason, but Mike wouldn't have it. "I don't care. Eleven is my soulmate, and she's the only one I want. Whoever shares this cursed second mark with me will have to fair for themselves." All at once, Will's hope was crushed. His heart felt like it stopped beating, a cold grip constricting his chest._

_Max rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Mike. My sympathy goes to whoever got stuck as your second soulmate. Awful match for them."_

_'Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.' Will chanted to himself, but it hurt. It hurt, it felt like something was tearing at him from the inside. As the Party begrudgingly moved onto another topic, Will stayed silent. No matter how much he tried to stop it, he couldn't. Will's breathing sped up and wouldn't cease. He was probably on the verge of hyperventilation, he wasn't sure. Either way, he had to get out of there. Tears were pushing at the wall he'd put up, and he couldn't have that._

_Shaking, Will stood up, breathing out,"I uh... I'll be right back." The party looked up at him in confusion and concern. Mike was the first one who spoke up. "Woah, Will. Are you---" But Will turned and fled before he could even finish the question. Vaguely, Will thought he heard chairs being pushed back and people shuffling to their feet; probably the party chasing after him. But he couldn't face them right now. So Will picked up the pace._

_He eventually found himself in the football field. Thankfully it was empty, so Will hobbled over to the bleachers. He sat down there, burying his head in his hands and finally letting out a sob, the tears falling down from his face. Why him? The bad things always happened to Will. It wasn't fair, the universe finally intended to give him something good, and it was still fucked up. Hadn't he been through enough?_

    _Slowly, he managed to stifle the sobs but not the tears. It was a lucky feat, Will supposed. Because just when he managed to calm down a little, Mike and Max found him. They quickly raced over, both of them sitting down on either side of him. The second Mike sat down, he took Will under his arm, asking "Will, what's going on!? What's wrong?" Mike himself sounded panicked. The fact nearly made Will laugh. Yeah, right. He would hate him if he found out. Normally, Mike's presence calmed him down; his affection was soothing to him.  But now, it just made him tense up. 'Let go of me!' Will nearly screamed in his head, but didn't have the heart to push him off._

_He wouldn't tell them what was wrong no matter how hard they pressed. He couldn't. Mike would hate him, and that was his worst fear._

_\-------------------------_

A year ago today. It had officially been a year since the day Will realized his soulmate match was Mike. After they'd had that stressful time on the bleachers, Max had pulled him aside and confronted him. The first thing she'd asked Will was: "You're Mike's second soulmate, aren't you?" Eventually she hassled Will enough to make him confess that he was, and confess how he felt about him. Will had begged her not to tell him, so she eventually complied. Lucas and Dustin had managed to find out too not much later, all three of them were incredibly pissed off at Mike when they found out.

    So the entire Party knew about it, minus El and Mike. Even Jonathan knew about it now. Mike always blew up when one of them would lightly touch on the subject, subtly trying to make Mike change his mind. Will had no idea why he was so defensive about it, but it didn't do Will's fears any good. It just made Will even more determined to keep the truth concealed. He had decided it was better to keep Mike as a friend than to lose it all. 

     Will wished he could say that he was over it by now, but that would be a complete lie. The love he felt for him never stopped, Will somehow falling even deeper into it. Yet that made the pain worse. Will was slowly beginning to anger. Mike had been getting worse recently, spending more and more time with Eleven and less with him. Mike still spent time with Will, and still dropped everything when he was upset. But even his concern for him seemed to be diminishing. And it made Will angry. Pain can turn one bitter. 

    Will had decided to distance himself from Mike. He didn't want too, but he couldn't fight the love nor the pain anymore, so maybe the best thing really was to run from it. Maybe it would help. He had the Party's support, so he wasn't alone at least. Sometimes they'd pull Will aside when they could tell he was struggling, or when Mike had said something particularly nasty about his second soulmate and it'd shake him up. Will was getting on. He would hang out with the other Party members outside of school. 

    Max had sat with him last time. At one point, Will had hunched forward, rubbing at his temples and uttering out, "Max. I love him. And it sucks." She had actually gone on a rant in response, talking about how Mike was dim witted for not realizing Will was his second soulmate, and he'd regret saying all that he did. That Will deserved much better than he got. 

     He watched her as she paced the room angrily. She'd gotten to be about 5'6 throughout the years, just an inch shorter than Will himself, and her hair was cut at her shoulders, with a side-part now. She still had that fiery personality though. Will actually smiled a little when he thought about it. He was glad she'd joined their group in eighth grade. She was a great friend, and the group had grown together into their Senior year. What a headache that could give you, thinking about all the of the times. 

\-----------------

    Meanwhile, Mike was concerned and suspicious. Something was up with Will, there has been for a while. And Mike was pretty sure the rest of the Party was in on something that he wasn't. They would pull Will aside for talks, or they'd talk amongst themselves in hushed voices, Mike sometimes picking up the name 'Will' if he listened hard enough. It was almost like Will was avoiding him. But to be fair, Mike hadn't been around as much. But Mike trusted that if something was really wrong, Will would come to him. But... maybe not. Mike needed to pick up on the slack. 

    Mike sometimes wondered about the mark on his shoulder. He tried to convince himself he wanted nothing to do with it, but sometimes he felt like he was fooling himself. He was also curious about his slightly new attraction to Will. Will was his best friend, but sometimes Mike's mind wandered and he found himself wanting to hug and kiss him too. That want had started to become more prevalent, and sometimes all Mike wanted was to get Will under his arm. And that scared him, so he tried to bury it. He already had Eleven, she was his soulmate and he loved her. So why was he suddenly so interested in Will too? 

     Mike made his way to the Party's table, where Will and Dustin were sat across from one another. Mike was glad the seat next to Will was open, deciding he was going to sit with Will today instead of Eleven. It had been a bit since he'd actually done that. They were leaned in with their heads together, discussing something. As Mike got closer, Will sighed and he heard him say, "No Dustin, I'm not gonna do it." 

    Mike gently placed his hand in the middle of Will's shoulders as he sat down. Will looked over in surprise, Mike felt him tense up when Will realized it was him. Mike frowned, he didn't like that at all. Maybe he'd been neglecting Will a little too much. "Hey. You okay?" Mike asked softly.

    Will nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine." Will responded, a little too fast. Mike wasn't convinced, but he pushed it to the side for now. If there was one thing Mike tried to never do, it was push Will unless Mike was sure something was really, really wrong. Dustin quickly changed the subject from whatever they had been talking about to Mrs. Atley's English class. Dustin mentioned the class dramatization they had to do of a scene in 'The Taming of the Shrew'. 

     Will laughed at his impression, his face scrunching up a little. ' _God damn it, that was cute.'_ Mike thought before he quickly dismissed it, pushing it out of his mind. He couldn't be thinking like that. But even as he dismissed the thought, he realized Will's smile was a little off, his laugh a bit quieter and shaky. What was going on with his best friend?


	2. Wearing Thin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm ill. I'm about to take a nap, so sorry if this chapter has any typos. I'm publishing it right now, in case I don't wake up from my nap for a while. I will fix any typos soon. Lmao. Be prepared for the next update, stuff goes down. ;)

      Will sat in the Sinclair's living room on Saturday night with Lucas, Dustin and Max. Lucas was holding a movie night for the Party- they'd invited Mike and Eleven, but they hadn't bothered to show up. No surprise there, really. When enough time passed to realize they weren't coming, Will just rolled his eyes and scoffed; ignoring the sympathetic looks he might've gotten. 

     They carried on with the night, not bringing up Mike and Eleven. They'd all gotten tired of it at this point. Will laughed along with the party, enjoying himself the best he could. ' _I'm doing just fine. I can do this.'_ Will told himself, trying to keep his chin up. There was a time, once, where Will didn't even know Mike existed. But that was a long time ago. Maybe Will would have to live in that reality again. But how could he forget the boy who was his first friend and first love, his damn _soulmate?_

Will shook his head. He was Will Byers. Will fucking Byers. He'd survived a week in the Upside Down. He'd survived literal possession, being used as a tool to kill. He'd survived a war, a _war_  with creatures from another dimension. He'd survived all of that, coming out of it all with only emotional and mental scars. Will lived with the weight of all of that, but he was still relatively okay. He functioned just fine- only the occasional panic attack or sudden fear, nightmares. He lived a normal life now. Mike Wheeler was _not_ going to be the cause of his death. He was strong, he could do this. 

\---------------

     On Monday, no one asked Mike and Eleven where they were. All of them knew they'd been to busy with each other to bother to show up. However, Dustin decided to gently press the matter of Mike's other soulmate. As usual, Mike blew up. But this time was particularly hurtful. 

     "For the last time, would you all stop bringing it up? I'm _never_ changing my mind. I don't care who they are, I don't want to be with them. The only one I'm ever going to want is El, and that's that. I'm not going to let them ruin my relationship. Now, can we not bring it up again? Thanks!" Mike finished sarcastically.

      Max rolled her eyes, getting ready to speak up, probably to reason that Mike had two soulmates for a reason, and that his other soulmate wouldn't ruin the relationship with El. But Lucas raised a hand up, shaking his head gently. They all knew it was pointless as well as redundant by now. Mike Wheeler was a moron. 

     Meanwhile for Will, that had been a stab too deep. Mike had been saying things like that since he'd mentioned his second soulmark, and the rest of the Party had been slowly trying to change his mind for Will's sake. But he never budged. It was finally starting to sink in, for real this time. There was a deep physical pain in Will's chest that left his breathing kind of ragged. 

     Mike wouldn't change his mind. Even if he found out Will was his other soulmate, it would only lead to more anger, wouldn't it? Mike practically already hated him, but Mike didn't even realize it. The only thing that seemed to matter to him now was El. Will's teeth were clamped tightly now, trying to soothe himself but the pain wouldn't stop. They say rejection triggers  physical pain stimulation in the brain. 

     It was really getting to him this time. Will tapped Dustin's arm, gritting out that he'd be back quietly and turning on his heels, almost making a mad dash to the bathroom so he could get away. 

    Once he made it there, Will leaned into the wall, almost collapsing into it. A hand placed on his chest as he tried to breathe steady. Maybe this was his soul itself reacting, tearing itself apart. This had to stop. Why the hell had he gotten stuck with Mike if he didn't even get to have him? Will gave the Universe props for that one. It had tried to give him something good to hold onto. It wound up screwing him over, but at least it had tried. 

     After a bit, Will managed to amble over to the bathroom mirror. Thank god no one had walked in yet. He just stared at his own reflection. Why him? He really was foolish to let himself have any hope. Of course Mike wouldn't want to be with him if he found out they were soulmates. Who would want to have Will Byers as a soulmate, anyway? He was quiet, damaged, uninteresting. Who would want to spend the rest of their lives with him, looking after him? 

      Will stood there for a bit, slowly picking himself apart and looking over every flaw. He didn't look away from his reflection when Lucas sauntered in, looking for Will. He knew he'd been a while, but he didn't care. "Hey." Lucas spoke out, coming over to Will and looking in the mirror with him. He didn't bother asking Will if he was alright, because they both knew he certainly wasn't. 

     "Lucas?" Will asked after a moment, his voice still wavering. "Do you think it's possible to remove a soulmark?" Will looked Lucas in the face as he asked the question, Lucas wincing at it. He closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head.

     "Will..." Lucas started, trying to find the right words. "Even if you could, it wouldn't change the fact that he's your soulmate. Your souls are bound. He's gonna realize one day that he's meant to be with _both_ of his soulmates." Lucas explained gently. Will shook his head, tears pushing at the back of his eyes. "He's left me behind. He doesn't care about me anymore."

     "Hey. It's gonna be alright." Lucas started, hugging Will for a moment. He let him go, but not entirely, keeping a hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna work out. It sucks right now but something is going to happen. Mike will wake up. He cares about you still, I can see it in him and that's never gonna change. He's going to want to be with you. I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out yet, honestly."

     Will appreciated Lucas attempts, but it wasn't a promise he could count on. Will just nodded, but in his head he argued. Will would just have to take this situation into his own hands. He had to put a stop to this, and if it meant getting rid of Mike in his life altogether, so be it. Will really didn't want it to be coming to this, but... Mike didn't seem to care much for him anyway lately. Distance was key, now.

     Will walked out of the bathroom with Lucas, Lucas keeping a comforting hand around his shoulder.  Once they got back to the Party, Mike spoke up, a little soft. "Will?"

      Will looked at him with an apathetic gaze. Mike's eyes were soft when they looked at him, looking into his eyes. A silent way of asking _'are you alright?'._ Will nearly wanted to roll his eyes, but he restrained himself. He was surprised Mike even noticed he was gone. Reluctantly, Will gave a nod. However, Mike kept on analyzing his face, clearly not believing him.

      Will stood stiffly between Dustin and Lucas, Lucas still keeping a hand on his shoulder. Mike's eyes moved to where Lucas's hand was, and Mike's eyes hardened a bit. The Party's banter eventually picked up, but Will stayed quiet. A certain kind of numbness was taking over him. Meanwhile Mike was acting a bit strange, he kept shifting his eyes back to Will, leaning towards him. Almost outright trying to pull him from where he stood, wanting Will next to him. When the bell rang to go back to class and the party walked through the halls, Mike slid in between Dustin and Will, pulling Eleven with him. Mike walked next to Will, placing his hand in the middle of Will's shoulders 'casually'. It made Will's heart go for a second before Will bristled,  remembering the situation at hand.

     Will ignored his 'subtle' attempts the best he could. He had to protect himself, go numb. At this point, it was easier than dealing with his emotions. The occurrence was strange though, the more Will was nonchalant about Mike's attempts, the harder he tried to get his attention.

\---------------------------

     Over the next few days, Mike noticed a change in Will's demeanor. Will was very stand-offish; he wouldn't look at Mike when he spoke, would only answer him with short responses. It had really started when Mike had snapped the other day about his second soulmate. He couldn't be...? No. Perhaps Will was just upset because he'd been to focused on El? Will was his best friend, had been way before El was in the picture. Mike wasn't treating him right. It was confirmed when Mike pulled Lucas aside to ask if he knew if Will was avoiding him. Lucas told him begrudgingly that Will was kind of really mad at him and no longer trusted him, that Will felt like he was abandoned. It left Mike into a total panic mode, causing his mind to go into overdrive of all the memories he shared with the other boy, the one he'd fought so hard to save before. It left him with a determination to fix things.

     Mike made his way into school a little early that Thursday, hoping he could catch Will alone. Will seemed to be doing what he could to avoid being alone with Mike. To his luck, Will was by his locker, placing his usual items inside; and the rest of the party was not present. Mike sauntered up carefully. His locker was three away from Will's, his locker had been next to Eleven's this year and the year before it. Mike thought about it for a second. He really had been placing Will behind Eleven. It wasn't just in big things, it was in the little ones too.

     Mike went to Will, lightly brushing a hand against his back as he came up. "Hey, Will." 

     Will looked up to Mike, and the first thing Will's face showed was dismay. It quickly changed to a trained neutral expression, and it made Mike's stomach sink. Will used to always light up when he saw him. How long had this been going on? Mike hadn't been paying enough attention to Will, that was for sure.  This wasn't sitting well with Mike. He and Will had been through _everything_ together. Mike had almost lost him, more than once. It was the scariest experience of his life, and here he was, losing Will again and this time it was his own fault.

     "Hi." Will responded plainly, shoving the rest of his things in his locker with a sudden hurry. "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school?" Mike asked, feeling a little nervous kick in his stomach. Now _that_ was new. He hadn't asked Will to hang out for a bit of time, but he'd never been nervous about asking him before. 

    Will looked at him skeptically. Instead of a 'yes' like Mike was hoping for, the question that came out of Will's mouth was, "Wouldn't you rather be hanging out with El instead?" 

    A bit of guilt stabbed in the pit of Mike's stomach. He really hadn't been around. Will was right to be skeptical. But if Mike was honest, he missed Will's presence. As much as Mike loved Eleven, Mike wasn't complete without Will. There was a hole that was growing, the more time Mike neglected Will. And the more Will was upset with him, the worse it felt. His newfound attraction to Will wasn't helping either. Mike was tripped up about that, why he wanted to look after Will and make him smile- to give him affection. He hoped he hadn't fucked things up with Will to badly. Mike shuffled his feet a little. "I um... I know I haven't been around much. And that's totally my fault and shitty.  El might be my soulmate-" Mike started, watching Will's shoulders fall at his words and his guard coming up even higher.

     "But you're my best friend!" Mike quickly rushed on, panicked. He might've actually really fucked this up. "We've been through everything together. You've... you've always been there for me and I haven't done the same. I almost lost you twice and I can't lose you now. Not then, not now, not ever. I'm really, really sorry. I want to start spending time with you again. I know words are cheap, but you're one of the most important people in my life... Please, do you think you might be able to forgive me?"

     Will was listening, his guard still clearly up but it had been slightly lowered. Will took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if accepting something. He started to speak, stiff at first. "I... alright. I forgive you, but it's gonna take more than one day, Mike. I don't want to let you back in just to have you abandon me again." 

    Mike let out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. Then he realized what the last thing Will said was, and Mike instantly shook his head, wanting to soothe him the best he could with the broken trust they had. Mike had badly burned him, there was no doubt in his mind now. "No, Will. I fucked up. But I am _never_ going to do it again. I'm sorry." 

    Will gave him a very slight smirk. "You've already apologized, Wheeler. No need in going over it twice. I guess you'll just have to show me that you want to fix it." 

    Will's tone was teasing, but still a little tense. Mike gave a little laugh. "Yeah, I just guess I'll have too. But I want too." Will gave him a small, slightly sad in tone smile. It just pulled more at Mike's chest, and he suddenly felt the need to grab hold of Will. Just to make sure he wasn't slipping out of his world, out of his life. To physically feel him there, to confirm that he was right there. 

     Mike opened his arms. "Can I hug you?" 

     Will gave a louder laugh at that one, that made Mike's heart go just a little. He _really_ missed hearing that, and watching Will's face light up. "You didn't have to ask." Will retorted before he leant into Mike. Mike was surprised at how strongly Will gripped at him, fear probably controlling it. 

    Mike gripped back just the same. Will was probably feeling worse than he was, considering the damage. Will was still shorter than he was, and his head was tucked under Mike's chin. Mike leaned his face down, burying his face in Will's hair. The halls were quiet, it was still early in the morning. And Will didn't seem to mind. Over the years, Will had lost the bowl cut. His hair was still a little long, but it was brushed back. It still kept Will's face soft and pretty. But thinking about that could wait. ' _He's here, he's here, you didn't drive him away'_ Mike's mind soothed, the pit in his stomach letting up just a little. He still had much work to do, but Will was willing to let him try to clean up his mess.

     In the back of Mike's mind, he reflected that Will fit into him perfectly. It had the same feeling that hugging El had. Two different puzzle pieces fitting into the same one. Will wasn't curved, he was more solid but he was still soft. A good balance of strength and softness. It was enticing. As much as it made Mike's mind go, he wasn't off-put by his attraction to Will. He should be, as his soulmate was El- but it felt natural. 

       Mike didn't really want to let go of Will, but he knew he had too. Will was pulling away, and it had been a long lasting hug anyway. "Are you done with your locker?" Mike asked. Will glanced into it, and grabbed what he needed before putting his backpack in. He shut the door, and nodded. "I am now." 

      "Good." Mike said, before grabbing Will's wrist and pulling him to Mike's locker. "Sorry- I have to put my things up too." Mike gave a quick explanation. Will made a questioning face but didn't comment on it.

     They had a small bit of light banter while Mike organized his things. After a minute, Mike shut his locker door and faced the smaller teen again. "So, can I come over to yours' tonight?" 

     Will nodded, giving another smile. "That sounds good. How about around five? I know we'll both probably have a little bit of homework to do beforehand." 

    Mike agreed, a bit excited. It was a plan. Will smiled again, a little soft. "So, we should probably get to the Party spot. I'd rather not walk through all the crowds." Mike nodded in understanding, and the boys fell into place next to one another, steps in sync. And if Mike couldn't resist in taking Will under his arm as they walked, it was not commented on. Things were finally looking like it was going to be okay.  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are Tuesday and Friday! :)  
> Instagram: @_bylerarmy_  
> Tumblr: @bylerarmy


	3. Frigid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, some shit goes down here. :)

Mike's energy was up. He was ready to spend time with Will- it really had been too long. Mike's consciousness was not cleared of it's guilt, but he was ready to try and fix his neglect. He even had a bag packed, he was planning on spending the night. He was sure Will would let him, Will seemed thrilled and pleasantly surprised that Mike wanted to hang out. Mike was buzzing with excitement, he just hoped he didn't mess this up more than he already had.

However, Mike's 'best friend' intentions might not have been the only thing behind Mike's excitement. Though Mike tried to combat his feelings for his best friend, they'd only become more predominant and had risen into a very tough-to-ignore crush. The feelings had probably already been there much before Mike even noticed them. When Mike had realized they were there, he was a little freaked out, but the feelings were the same as he'd been having. He'd had the feelings, the boosts of oxytocin, the wants to scoop Will up and hold him, to kiss him. They'd always been there. And Mike was a little afraid it was turning into, or already was love. He was in love with El, of course he was. But he felt the same for Will. A little different of course, but still love nonetheless. He held both platonic and romantic love for Will, something that'd run deep since they were both five years old.

Mike shook the thoughts from his mind. He could think about that later. His friendship with Will was in danger, and he had to fix it. Couldn't let his romantic thoughts trip him up. Friendship first. Tonight was going to be perfect. But it wouldn't last.

El came knocking on his door with a distressed look on her face. Mike let her in, and asked what was going on- he was sure it could be resolved quickly, but he was wrong. Eleven was really confused in her math class (a class Mike excelled in) and had fallen behind- she'd had an anxiety attack over the workload. El begged Mike to help her, and once looking at everything she had to catch up on, a feeling of slight dread filled in Mike's stomach. It would take a while, and El really needed his help. He'd have to cancel on Will.

Mike slowly dialed the Byers' number, not wanting to hurt Will's feelings and let him down more than he already had. Joyce picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Byers. It's Mike. Could I talk to Will please?" Mike felt the need to reiterate that it was him speaking, as it had been a while since he'd seen her too.

Joyce hesitated for a second, clearly a little surprised. "Um, sure. Let me get him for you."

There was a moment of pause before Will's voice came through. "Mike!" He started, hopeful. "Hey."

"Hey, Will..." Mike started off gently. Will immediately knew something was off. "What's wrong?" He asked, fear in his voice.

"Uh, El came over- and she really needs my help on homework. So I can't... I can't make it tonight."

There was silence for a minute, and Mike was almost a little afraid Will had hung up. "Oh." Will's voice was frighteningly quiet.

Mike hurried to get in his next words before Will hung up. "Next time though! Soon, okay?" Mike tried to add as much optimism in his voice despite knowing he'd probably stung the other teen.

There was a moment of quiet before Will laughed, shaky and weird. "Yeah, right. Like there's going to be a next time. Goodbye, Mike." Will's voice was sparking with anger and hurt, the last thing Mike heard was the phone slam on the other line. Mike swallowed, a little stung himself. Mike had never been faced with a Will that was angry with him. Will was usually sweet, he rarely got angry, but when he did, it was scary.

Mike stood at the phone, dumbfounded. Will's last words sounded eerily like he'd given up. Will said  _goodbye._ They'd never said goodbye to each other. They always said something along the lines of 'see you later'. Never goodbye. Oh god, what if that was the last straw for Will? What if he was saying goodbye because that was Mike's last chance?

Mike felt a painful tightening in his chest, and quickly spun the phone's dial again to call the Byers house. It rang, and Mike counted the tones.  _One... two... three... four... five... answering machine._ Cold immediately slipped into Mike's stomach. He pushed passed El to get to the basement.

El followed him down the steps, asking what was wrong. "Will's really upset with me." Mike barked out the words vaguely, reaching for the Supercomm. He turned the dial and opened the Party's station. "Will? Will! Please, I didn't mean to make you angry." Mike tried, and got no response. "Will, please come in. I'm worried about you!" Mike tried again a few more times, no response coming in. The clenching in Mike's stomach twisted even more. This wasn't good, Will never ignored him. He'd taken Will for granted and had hurt him too much. This was all his fault.

Eventually, El sat down with him and told him he should pause the calls. Will's anger might subside, to give it a little time. Mike sighed and knew she was probably right. But he was upset now too, and irritated. Not with Will, as he was in the right.

\------------------------------

Meanwhile, Will felt a physical stinging that was practically worse than when he burned from the Mind Flayer. It wasn't just his body, his mental state. It was his soul too. Will should've known better, he should've known not to let any thought of hope fill his mind. Of course Mike would choose El over him- it'd been like that ever since she'd come in the picture. It wasn't fair- Will had been there first by a longshot- Mike's best friend for years on end. Why did the world fuck him over like this? At that moment, Will wished anyone else was his soulmate. Someone who'd put him into consideration when acting.

Will was done. Will knew he didn't hate Mike- he never could. He loved him. But therein lies the problem, Mike didn't love him. Will heard Mike calling for him through the Supercomm, and he quickly grabbed the thing and shut it off in haste. It didn't matter. His mom came in after a few minutes, giving a soft knock before she opened the door. When she saw Will's state, she quickly came and sat with him, quickly trying to soothe him and asking what was the matter.

So Will told her everything. How Mike was his soulmate, but Mike wanted nothing to do with him. How he hadn't really mattered to Mike once El was in the picture and it'd only worsened when it was revealed they had matching soul marks. That they hadn't hung out in months, that Mike barely bothered with him anymore.

Joyce was fiercely upset and a little shocked, but she engulfed her youngest son in her arms. Will was much taller than her now, but he felt just about as small as he could get with her. His mom then determinedly promised him that it was going to be fine, she was going to be by his side through everything. It viciously reminded Will of when she had promised that she wasn't going to let anything hurt him again during the time of the Mind Flayer's possession.

She asked if there was anything she could do, make him something to eat, if he wanted to sit and watch a movie with her. But Will told her he needed a little while alone. Joyce was a little hesitant, but she left him to it. She left promising that she would be in her room and if he needed her, he could come get her right away.

Will had stopped crying by then, and he sat there on his bed, crumpled. He glanced to his bedside table, where a picture of himself with the original party stood. It was the picture of when they'd won the science fair. Mike had given it to him after he'd been rescued from the Upside Down for the first time. He took a hold of it, glancing at how close Mike and Will were back then. Mike was practically holding Will in his arms in the photo, an arm around his back and an arm thrown in front of him.

' _As if',_ Will thought bitterly. It made bile rise in his throat and he quickly slammed the picture face down on his nightstand. Mike Wheeler cut Will out of his life, replacing him with El. And now Will was going to have to do the same. It might hurt at first, but it couldn't hurt worse than this. This had burned so many insecurities into Will's soul, finding himself clingy, annoying, ugly. Whatever there could be to find wrong, he did. And he couldn't do it anymore. If Mike Wheeler was going to abandon him, throw him away? He'd have to do the same.

\----------------------------

It had taken Mike three and a half hours to help El cut down on the level of work she had. She still had some left but could handle it on her own. When she left with Hopper, he made a beeline for the phone. Mike dialed the Byers number and got no response, anxiously trying two more times before he grabbed the Supercomm. Still no word from Will.

Mike didn't get much sleep that night, the knots in his stomach tightening instead of vanishing. It almost felt like how he felt when he knew El was probably having a bad day, or when she was upset. Like he could feel a bit of what the other felt.

Mike's mind had the moments on replay, the way Will's voice had quieted, the sarcasm and pain dripping from his retort. The resignation in ' _Goodbye, Mike'._ Mike didn't want to picture Will's face falling, his shoulders dropping. But he did. He knew what Will looked like when Mike cancelled, even though he hadn't seen it. The second Mike saw Will tomorrow, he was apologizing again and praying to any deity above that Will would still be willing to let him try again.

The next morning, there was no sign of Will at school. Will doesn't miss school unless he was seriously ill or had some sort of emotional crisis situation. So the fact that he was missing was  _not good._ It made the pit feeling worsen, and the rest of the Party had no idea where he was either. Maybe he was just late? First period went by, then second and Will still hadn't turned up.

By the middle of third period, Mike was really starting to freak out. He couldn't focus on the lesson, his mind only spitting out thoughts of Will. If Will didn't show by lunch, Mike was--- the classroom door opens slowly, and the 5'7 form of his best friend appears behind it. The tense teen almost let out a sigh of relief.

However, Will looked like his spirit had been forcefully pulled out of him. He kept his head low as he made his way to his seat, and when he was close enough for Mike to see his face, Mike noted that his face was puffy and slightly red. He had clearly been crying. If possible, Mike's heart twisted even more in his chest. He really hadn't realized what he was doing to Will.

Will wouldn't look at him. Mike tried to get his attention, to talk to him. Will was literally doing everything humanly possible to avoid talking to him, hurrying in the halls and skirting around corners when Mike went after him. At lunch, Will didn't even show up and Mike couldn't find him when he scouted the campus.

So, when the bell rung in fifth period to switch to sixth, Mike grabbed a hold of Will's arms and pulled him to the bathroom. Mike felt Will trying to break away, hissing for Mike to let him go. But it lacked vehement, no trace of real venom. More just a worn down kind of irritation. Once they reached their intended destination, Mike got Will inside. And when Will tried to leave, Mike blocked the exit.

Will took a deep breath. "Mike. What're you doing? Just let me go to class." Will tried to maneuver around the larger teen but Mike blocked him off; gently holding onto Will's shoulders, looking him in the eyes.

"No, Will. I... I need to talk to you. I didn't mean to make you more upset, I swear I want to fix things. El just really needed my help yesterday." Will did not respond, instead just searching his eyes distrustfully. "I can't lose you, Will. I'm so sorry."

The words made Will snap. He ripped himself away from Mike's clutch, taking a few steps back in hostility. "Oh, you can't lose me like I already lost you? You chose El over me last night, just like you always do. I haven't mattered to you since El stepped into the picture! So you know what? My answer is no! You don't get to do this!" Mike tried to open his mouth to speak, but Will wasn't done. "I'm not letting you back in because you're just going to walk out again and hurt me even more. You don't care about me anymore. You haven't been there for me when I needed you. I go looking for you when I'm upset, but where are you? Totally focused on El of course! You've made promises to me, and you broke them in favor of her. The only thing you care about is Eleven. You've made that clear enough." Will took a moment before delivering the last blow. "You know, years ago, you told me we'd go crazy together. Do you even remember that? Well, now I'm going crazy all alone. You have El. You already made your decision when you left me behind for her." Will had begun to tear up during his outburst, his tone of voice going from a near shout to a sharp quiet one. Two tears broke through the wall that Will was desperately trying to keep up and slid down his cheeks as he shoved past Mike.

Meanwhile Mike's mind was still processing what had happened. He was shocked, confused. The most prevalent thing Mike felt though was a searing pain in his chest. It felt almost like a knife was cutting into him, the ground shaking under his feet. Mike had never seen Will that angry out of all the time he knew him. Mike's heart was breaking at the pain and anger clear in Will's voice, how over things Will was. But one thing was clear, Will was walking out. Mike had to act fast because if he let Will escape, it was probable that Will would escape from his life.

Mike dove forward before Will could get far. He hastily grabbed the smaller teen in his arms and held him, pulling Will in; pressing him up against his chest. Mike's eyes were stinging with tears now, realizing the weight of the situation. Mike dipped his head down, pressing his forehead and tearful eyes into Will's shoulder, squeezing them shut. The position was intimate contact, even for them, but it felt right. Natural.

"Will...  _please."_ Mike started hoarsely. "I know I fucked up. I made so many mistakes. No apology is gonna make up for it. But I swear on everything that I'm going to do better." Will had tensed up in Mike's hold, but he wasn't struggling. So Mike kept going, his voice becoming thicker and closer to breaking, the searing pain letting up just a little with Will right there, listening. "I'm an idiot. Here I am, my own actions causing one of if not the most important person to me to walk out of my life. Will,  _please stay._ If I lose you, it's going to break my heart."

'It's going to break my heart' came out rather jagged and broken, and it was true. Mike could already feel the effects of it. Look at him. The one person Mike had fought so hard to save, the person he feared the most of losing. The person Mike wanted to hold and protect, but he'd turned around and burned him so badly Will was ready to run. Mike's heart was really breaking now. After a moment of not saying anything, Will relaxed, a bit of the tension leaving his frame. Mike felt him relax against him, and the fear dimmed. "Will?" He asked out, just a small spark of hope.

Both boys were crying now. Will swallowed, taking a shallow breath. "I don't want your heart to break, Mike." Will's voice was small and grave. "But I can't handle being hurt much more."

"I won't. I won't. I'm going to spend more time with you. I'm never going to leave you behind again. I'm not right without you." Mike's voice was borderline desperate now.

"I..." Will was ever hesitant in his wording. Finally, he let out a slightly broken sigh, and Mike felt the other teen relax a bit, as if the fight had left his body. "Alright. I'll give you your last chance. But this won't be easy, Mike. I... I honestly don't know if I'm ever going to be able to trust you like I used too."

Mike let go of Will so he could turn around to face him. Mike's chest ache was letting up some, but wasn't completely gone. He knew Will was in a lot of pain still. However, Mike smiled that gentle, relieved smile he sometimes showed. He still had a shot to fix this.

Will gave a very barely there smile in response, and Mike opened his arms again. Will gave in and let himself be cradled for a moment. Mike dipped his head down again, resting his nose in Will's hair. He whispered, "I know how it looks. But I promise, Will. I care just as much for you as I do for El" into Will's ears. Mike felt Will's shoulders sag a little when El was mentioned, and he couldn't blame him. Mike would just have to prove it to him. He allowed himself to cradle Will up against him for a few moments more before letting go. When Mike did, the smaller boy looked up at Mike's face. "You know, for the fairness of things, I didn't honestly want to cut you off either. It was more for my mental health." Will's voice broke again at the word 'health', and he looked down; wiping viciously at the tears that kept falling down. "Fuck this mess." Will let out with a breathy laugh.

Mike wrapped his hands around Will's wrists, lowering his hands from his face gingerly, almost lovingly. "Let me get it." Mike hurriedly grabbed a tissue, softly taking Will's face and wiping at his cheeks, drying his tears carefully; slowly.

Will went a little more red in the face at the action, meekly letting out that he could do it himself and trying to duck away. However Mike wouldn't have it, saying softly to Will, "let me take care of you". They stayed there, in the bathroom for the entirety of sixth period. They sat together up against the wall with no distance between them, Mike having an arm around Will's shoulders and Will's hand half on Mike's lower thigh. They spoke in hushed voices about things they haven't talked about in ages, deep things and inside jokes. It was decided that Mike would be heading to Will's almost directly after school, and he would be there no matter what came up. When the bell rang to signal it was time for 7th period, a class they both shared, both pushed themselves up to their feet.

They headed out of the bathroom side by side, Will ducking his head a little to hide the tear-streaked evidence. Mike missed the physical contact he had with Will, and taking a deep breath, he decided to be bold. The worst that could happen was Will shrugging out of his grip anyway. He placed his hand on the inside of Will's wrist, sliding it down and slipping his fingers into the smaller boy's. Will let out a little surprised noise, but didn't pull away. Instead, he squeezed his hand and held it a little tighter, stepping that much closer to Mike. It was a little different to how El's hand felt, it wasn't quite as soft (still soft though) and it was just a little larger. But it was still smaller than Mike's hand and it wasn't uncomfortable, it fit like it was meant to be there. It was pleasant, and he didn't really want to let go. Why hadn't Mike tried this before?  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are Tuesday and Friday!   
> Instagram: @_bylerarmy_  
> Tumblr: @Bylerarmy


	4. Mending Worn Edges

Neither boy payed much attention during seventh period. The fact that they might get in trouble for skipping sixth period later didn't even cross their thought patterns, their minds being a little too predominantly focused on the boy sitting next to them. Will was feeling a mix of emotions. He loved Mike, but wouldn't keeping him around wind up hurting him more in the long run because of it? Mike promised he was going to do better... however, that wouldn't eliminate the soulmate issue. Mike was his soulmate and he wanted nothing to do with him when it came down to it. For now... Will would just have to roll with the punches and deal with what comes up when it does. He was still sore, but maybe most of the stings could be taken out with time and they would scar over.

When the bell rang to let out for school, both boys gathered up their belongings. Will took a moment longer, as he had spread more out on his desk. When he looked back up, books now in his arms, Mike stood there waiting. Mike offered him a soft smile, one that looked to be dancing along the lines of adoration. Will shook the observation off quickly, dismissing the thought before any spark of hope could form. The taller boy loved Eleven, and that was that.

Mike slowed his usual pace to match with Will's steps, their shoulders brushing together as they fought their ways through the halls. "So I was thinking I could drive you home? I mean, I could just stop by at my house and grab my stuff for overnight on the way?" Mike asked, sounding a little nervous. Will decided to be merciful instead of poking fun, smiling up at him and nodding. "That sounds great."

Once their bookbags were packed and swung over their shoulders, they began to walk away from their lockers. The rest of the Party eventually joined up with them, asking what the plans for the weekend was. Will's ears picked up Mike speaking with El in a hushed voice. "I'm gonna be with Will this weekend. It's been too long since I've hung out with him."

It brought a very light smile upon Will's lips. Maybe Mike cared about him a little more than he thought after all. The thought quickly caused Will to bristle back though. ' _Don't get too close to the fire.'_ He reminded himself. He'd wind up burned.

Eventually the Party dispersed after the usual banter and horseplay, each going off to their own rides. Lucas and Dustin heading off on their own, off to go settle this weeks arcade dispute. Max and El branched off as well, leaving only Will and Mike. "Come on." Mike rolled his shoulder backwards, shooting a slightly blinding smile to Will. Will felt heat rise to his cheeks and he reciprocated the smile, before he quickly attempted to repress it.

They reached Mike's car, and suddenly Will felt hands on his back. Mike's hands. They started to pull at his bookbag. "Here, let me take your bag while you get in." Oh. Will nodded, shrugging it off for him before letting out a small, "Thanks."

While Mike ducked in the back, he moved towards the front, opening the passenger side door and slipping inside. Mike had a 1979 Toyota that been given to him as a Christmas gift. Although it was nearing ten years old, and had a faint cigarette scent from the previous owner, it still worked great. No scratches on it either, it was in a pretty blue color that Will was kind of fond of. After a moment, Mike came up and joined Will; turning the key in and starting the car up.

As they pulled out of the school parking lot, Mike spoke up again. "Hey Will? Um. Thanks..."

Will was a little confused as to what Mike was randomly thanking him for. "Uh? For what?"

"For.... for forgiving me. For letting me try again. I know I've been really shitty, I'm not just saying that." Mike's tone grew a bit of an edge to it, like he was angry with himself. "But I'm gonna do better. I'm not letting you slip out of my life again." As Mike spoke, he glanced to Will, seeing his hand laid out between both seats; curled inward. Mike took one of his hands from the steering wheel and placed it into Will's, holding it with care.

It sent a spike of something to Will's stomach, which did not disperse at his attempts. Will was a little baffled as to why Mike was holding his hand. He'd held his hand in the hallway which had taken Will aback when he'd done it, but it was more dismissable as an act of consolation then.

Meanwhile Mike had just been wanting to hold Will's hand again. Something about Will's hand just felt like it was meant to be in Mike's. He _might_ be trying to make this a regular occurrence now. "Just... if I start fucking up again, tell me right away okay? You deserve better, Will." Mike finished softly, squeezing his hand. But he never let go of it.

\-----------

After a quick stop to the Wheeler's house, the boys were headed to the Byers home. Jonathan was still in college, he'd gotten a little of a late start. He'd wanted to be around for Will through the hell of the Upside Down. The house was that much quieter without him, and Will missed him. They still talked over the phone and their bond was just as close, but Will missed being able to amble into his older brother's room when he was feeling upset, knowing comfort was there when his mom was at work.

Joyce wasn't home yet, she had a shift and didn't get off until a little after six. Will didn't think his mom would mind Mike's stay for the evening, but she'd probably no doubt be a little suspicious after how hurt Will was last night. Will unlocked the door and pushed it open, letting Mike in first. He watched as Mike looked around the space, a little fond smile rising on his face.

"Well, I'm glad nothing has really changed." Mike joked. Will let out a small snort. "Okay, Wheeler. It's been a while since you've been here but it's not like it's been years."

Will gently pushed past him to get to the kitchen. "Come on. You hungry?"

They both decided on simple grilled cheeses for a snack, something that'd fill them up after the long day but they wouldn't be full anymore by the time dinner rolled around. Will did the cooking while Mike propped himself up on the counter, swinging his feet occasionally. Easy banter and a light atmosphere filled the sunlight room, the teens falling into an easy rhythm. It made Mike realize how much he missed it.

Will did a last flip of the sandwiches, then reached over to turn the stove top off. Mike watched him move as he grabbed two plates, transferring the grilled cheeses to them. Will moved with slight grace, a little delicately. Watching Will mesmerized Mike a little, he almost didn't realize when Will started talking to him, sliding him a plate. He blinked back into reality.

"....After we finish, do you have anything in mind of what you want to do?" was what Will was saying when he tuned back in.

Mike nodded. "Yeah, actually. I brought something with me, I'll show you."

Will looked a little confused, but agreed anyway. Being the teens they are, they practically wolfed down the grilled cheeses; getting done in no time. Mike grabbed his bag from where he left it in the entryway, then looked back up to Will, suggesting: "How about we head to your room?"

Will complied, turning and leading the way down the hall. Mike smiled faintly at the familiar 'No trespassing' sign up on his door as Will opened it. Mike stepped in, carefully placing his things down on Will's bed temporarily. "So, for that thing I wanted to show you..."

Mike unzipped his bag, first having to pull out his sleeping bag. "Let me just set this down first." He offered, as a small way of explaining 'this isn't the thing'. Although Will probably knew that.

As the lanky teen began to set up his sleeping bag next to Will's bed, Will spoke up. "Oh, uh- since Jonathan isn't at home, you could sleep in there if you want. I don't think he'd mind if you used his bed for the night."

Mike refused the offer straightaway. He wanted to spend the night with Will. "Nah, Will! I'm staying the night with you. I want too."

Will dipped his head down in a small smile at his response, which in turn caused a burst of happiness to be released in the back of Mike's head; making his heart do a little jump. He was more whipped than he thought.

Mike returned to his bag, digging a little and finding what he was looking for. He gripped it and pulled it out. In his hand were the four new X-men comics.

Will's eyes widened. "Woah, how did you get those?? I thought they were sold out!"

Mike smirked a little. "Yeah... I got my hands on them first thing the morning they were released. I thought we could read them together?"

Will nodded eagerly, giving a large smile. Large smiles were uncommon with Will, but Mike could tell it was still being contained. There was still a lot of uncertainty and worry in Will. It just made Mike more determined, and intensified the urge to hold him. Mike could practically feel Will's internal distrust, worry and mental scars. And Mike just wanted to grab hold of Will, cuddle him close to his chest and kiss him until the insecurities that he put in place melted away.

But he couldn't. El was Mike's soulmate and he loved her. Mike got the same urges with El when he knew she was having a hard time. But Mike _had two soulmates._ What if Will was....? No. Will would tell him. Will would know.

When Mike spoke bitterly of his second soulmate, he didn't really mean the words. He was scared, and a little angry at first. But he realized whoever the second person his soul was matched with, he was meant to be with too. But Mike was still scared. Because if he was honest, he didn't want anyone else but Will to be his soulmate. He wanted Will. He loved him.

There goes his mind again. He put his contemplation on pause, sitting down on the bed and splaying the four comics out in front of him. "Well! Take your pick!"

Will sat down next to him, analysing the covers carefully before choosing one. Mike made second pick, then took the remaining two and piled them up; placing them on Will's nightstand. Mike leaned back against the headboard, while Will curled up on his side, facing Mike.

Just as Will got settled, he wriggled back up again, uttering out a small "Oh wait!". Will went to his desk, quickly flipping through his collection of mixtapes and placing it in Jonathan's boombox. It had been gifted to Will when he went to college.

Will turned down the volume so it was playing softly, then turned back around to amble to his original position. "Sorry." He said as he made his way. "I usually play a mixtape in the background while I read or work on artwork. I hope you don't mind."

' _Well_ _that's_ _new.'_ Mike thought, then shook his head. "No Will, that's okay. When did you start doing that?"

"Oh. A little while after Jonathan first went to college, I think." Will explained as he got back onto the bed, curling back in on his side. "Mom works a lot, and now that Jonathan is never home, it got pretty lonely on the nights and weekends sometimes. Playing music made the house a little more lively."

A certain heaviness pressed on Mike's chest again. Will had been feeling even more alone than Mike had thought, it seemed. Not knowing what to reply, Mike reached out and curled his hand around Will's. "I'm sorry."

Will shook his head. "It's not your fault."

 _'It_ _kind_ _of is.'_ Mike's head piped up. Will had really been needing him. Just gives him another reason to work to repair his relationship with Will. He gave Will's hand a squeeze and let go so they could flip open their comic books. They read through them at a leisurely pace, making comments to one another about the series; both feeling content with each other's company.

They spent a good lot of time doing that, until they'd been through all four comics. They had eventually wound up laying within quite close proximity to one another, both Mike and Will scooting closer subtly, not really noticing. They'd put the comics away and had landed on the idea of playing Nintendo next.

The atmosphere was light as they rolled out the controllers, eventually selecting Bubble Bobble to play together. As they went through it, they talked about ranging topics, from assignments in school, to Mike's parents argument-of-the-week, to Will's new art projects. Laughter was clear in the air of the Byers' living room, the two teens pressed up against each other in front of the television. Will was still tense, still on edge, but he could breathe a little easier.

The two had lost track of time, so Mike and Will jumped a little when they heard the slam of Joyce's car door outside. They hastily put the game on pause, getting up to greet her with Will in the lead. He opened the door to be met with his mother about to put her key in. "Hi mom. Uh, Mike is here. I hope you don't mind."

Will hadn't told her, as they'd just planned this during school. Will was a little worried she wouldn't want him here after Will was so torn up about the whole situation last night. Joyce looked a little confused at first, but smiled anyway. "Hi, sweetie. Hi Mike. Of course it's alright that he's here." She started, walking in.

"Mike, it's been a while since I've seen you. How are you, honey?" She asked, and quickly shot Will a questioning glance. Will met her gaze, nodding as if to say, " _I'll explain everything to you as soon as I get a chance."_

Mike responded, "Yeah, sorry. I know I haven't been around. I actually was hoping to spend the night here if that's okay?"

Joyce nodded. "As long as it's okay with Will, which I'm guessing has already been discussed- then I'm more than fine with it. I'm glad to see you back." She gave him another gentle smile. Will was relieved. His mother was always amazing. Will asked her about how her day at work was and she rattled onto another tale about 'Discount Hunter" guy. 'Discount Hunter" guy was an occasional customer that'd come into Joyce's job and always try to convince Joyce to give him a discount.

"Ugh, no, not that guy again." Will immediately sympathized with his mother when she brought him up. Mike found himself transfixed again as he watched him react to his and Joyce's conversation, a fond smile splitting across Mike's face.

Once the three had chatted for a bit, Joyce asked, "Well, is there anything specific you boys want for dinner?" When they answered that there was nothing that came to mind, she said she'd probably just make something simple. Will jumped in offer to help, but Joyce declined, telling them to go hang out.

Mike and Will scurried off to Will's bedroom again, Mike saying that he wanted to see the art projects he had brought up. The artistic boy complied, grabbing his sketchbook and settling on the bed, Mike following suit. Will carefully flipped through his art pieces, making sure to skip over anything he didn't want him to see (such as his sketches of Mike).

Mike had lent in close, chin more or less tucked on Will's shoulder while Will showed him the works. He was softly admiring, saying things such as, "That's so impressive, Will! How long did that take you?" and more personal sounding praise like: "It's unbelievable how skilled of an artist you are."

It made heat rise to Will's cheeks. Mike was really making it difficult for Will to stop his feelings. Luckily, Joyce called them for dinner, enabling Will's mind to recover from it's short-circuiting.

After dinner, the boys were headed into the living room to start up the NES again, playing some competitive rounds of Tetris. They did everything they could to trip each other up on the levels, from nudging each other to lightly batting at their hands, trying to snatch the controller. It wound up in the teens laughing until their sides hurt, both of their hearts beating faster and the chemicals rushing. 

     After a while, Will was starting to feel the pull of tiredness weighing on him. He tried to combat it, but after a couple of yawns, Mike noticed. "Getting tired?" He asked gently.

    "Uh, yeah, a little." Will answered back softly. 

    "Yeah? Me too, honestly. How about we get ready to go to sleep?" Mike offered, and while Will didn't exactly want to go to sleep yet, he was worn out and could use the rest. Will agreed to Mike's offer and they began to clean up, putting the controllers back carefully. During the walk through the hall to get to Will's room, he spoke up again. "You know, I'm exhausted but part of me doesn't want to go to sleep." Will admitted, but did not go into the reason why. He didn't want the night to be over, fearing Mike might leave him behind again. 

     "I get what you mean." Mike started as they entered Will's room. "But we're gonna have all weekend to hang out, and we'll be hanging out after this too, of course." 

     Mike went to his bag, pulling out the pajamas he'd packed. "How about I go to the bathroom to change, and you can just change in here while I do that?" 

     "Yeah, that's a good plan." Will nodded, and Mike smiled at him before turning and leaving. Will wandered over to his dresser, sliding open the top drawer. He pulled out an old Star Wars t-shirt and pajama bottoms, laying them out and then stripped. He slipped on the pajama bottoms first.

      Meanwhile Mike had finished rather quickly, and was on his way back to Will's room. Not thinking to knock, Mike turned the doorknob and opened the door quietly. Will was still getting changed, and he was turned at an angle, his left side being most visible. He never heard him come in, and Mike couldn't help himself from taking a look, a splotch of color on Will's left hip catching his eye. His eyes locked onto it, and Mike's eyes widened, his heart stopping. On Will's hip was his soulmark, a mark that Mike would've recognized anywhere. It was the same mark that was on Mike's shoulder. He matched with Will. Will was his other soulmate.

     Mike let out a gasp. "Will! Your mark!" 


	5. Unveiled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment is here!! I've been so excited to share this chapter with you. Tomorrow, I'll have been a Byler shipper for 6 months. Happy Tuesday and Happy Reading! :D

**_"Will! Your mark!"_ **

Will jumped nearly a foot high at the sound of Mike's voice, then looked to him and visibly froze. He stopped breathing, his eyes about as wide as they could go. He tried to swallow, once, twice but he couldn't. Adrenaline was now filling his body, total fear and panic. After all this time he'd worked to keep it a secret, it was now all falling apart in one moment of slippage. Mike knew now, and he was gonna hate him. Just after Will thought he got him back, too. Tears began to prick at Will's eyes, his breathing returning, but not normally. It was fast and quick, on the brink of hyperventilation.

Mike was slowly stepping towards Will, approaching him. "We... we match. You match my second mark. You're my second soulmate!"

Will opened his mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. He closed it, then opened it again. His throat was closing up, his chest felt like something was clawing at it from the inside. Finally, Will managed to spit out with a cracking voice, "Please don't hate me." before he burst and began to cry.

' _Oh no, no no no.'_ Mike felt a clenching in his chest, and he moved fast to close the distance between them, rushing to Will's side to comfort him. "Will, no. Please don't cry!" He reached out, engulfing Will in his arms and pulling him in. He cradled Will while he shook with sobs, resting his cheek on the top of Will's head while he spoke soft words of comfort, desperately wanting to ease his pain. "Shhh, Will. Love, it's okay. I could never hate you, I'm right here..."

Guilt was filling up Mike's chest. Will was a mess because of him. Mike had said such horrible things, he'd said that he wanted nothing to do with his second soulmate. Mike had nearly abandoned Will, who was his longest friend, someone who he'd do anything for, because he was so wrapped up in El. Mike had nearly shattered their friendship all together, tearing Will apart in the process. Mike didn't blame Will for not saying anything. And Will thought Mike would hate him when he found out. How long had Will known? ' _Jesus, I have to fix this.'_

Carefully, Mike moved both of them over to Will's bed. He pulled the smaller boy down and sat up against the headboard. Will snuggled up against Mike with his head on his chest, loosely hugging him; Mike carding his fingers through Will's hair, his other arm wrapped around him and speaking more words of reassurance and comfort softly. Will's sobs died down, Mike pulling back to look at his face. "Hey." Mike softly breathed out.

"Hi." Will breathed out just the same, his face blotchy and tear streaked, his voice still wavering. Mike squeezed gently at Will's side from where his arm was draped over him. "You're my second soulmate. We're soulmates." Mike reiterated, looking at him lovingly. More emotions pushed up from under the guilt. Elation, relief, understanding, _love._

Will looked down and away, pushing himself up, his breathing becoming irregular again. "I-I know. I'm sorry. I know you w-want nothing to do with it, I p-promise I won't bring it up. I won't get in the way of you and El." Will's voice was a little high, small and scared.

Mike shook his head. "Oh. Will, no. It's not like that." He reached his hand up again and gently caressed Will's cheek with the back of his hand. Mike took a second to just look at him, his chest filling up with that soft adoration again, a soft smile naturally playing on his lips. Will was still upset, scared and now confused. But behind that, Mike saw it. The hope, the love reflected back into his eyes. Mike's eyes flickered down to Will's lips. He could kiss him now. He was going too. Both of them, Will especially, had waited long enough.

A small bit of nervousness kicked up in Mike's stomach though, a little twinge of butterflies. He took a deep breath and tried to expel it, moving his hand from where it rested on his soulmate's cheek to hold onto his shoulder. Mike leaned forward, tilting and dipping his head down, giving a soft kiss to Will's lips. Will tensed for just a second, before he loosened and melted into Mike. Will's lips felt a little bitten, but they were still soft. Will kissed back to the best of his ability, he'd never been kissed before. It wasn't perfect- no first kiss is- but it was _good._ It was _them_ and it was _right._ Will's hands gripped at Mike's bedshirt sleeves, and tensions Mike hadn't even been aware of were fading; like storm clouds making way to a shining sun. The entire world narrowed, all of it turning into white noise. Neither of them thought of or felt anything other than each other, the pounding of their hearts pounding on their ears.

The tight feeling of running out of air filled in Mike's chest, causing him to gently break the kiss. But he didn't go far, leaning his forehead onto Will's, closing his eyes for a moment before pressing his lips against Will's again in two chaste little kisses.

"How long have you known?" Mike softly asked.

"I uh... do you remember when you first told the Party about your second soulmark? You pulled down your shirt and showed the mark on your shoulder and..." Will trailed off, looking a little far away.

Mike remembered it. Will had run off afterwards, but he refused to tell him why he was upset. But that was over a year ago. Will had known for more than a year. Mike buried his head in Will's shoulder, groaning. "Ugh, love..."

"You've known for a year?" He asked, sitting back up to look Will in the eyes. Will broke eye contact, looking down and nodding. Oh, god. Mike really had screwed up more than he thought. Will sniffled and Mike saw two tears fall from Will's face. Mike took Will's hands in his. "Talk to me, Will. Tell me everything."

Will looked up at him, searching his face and finding nothing but honesty, a genuine want to hear Will's issues and a want to help. So he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. If Mike wanted him to talk, he would. "Well. When you showed the soul-mark, I recognized it immediately. I was so happy at first, and then you started talking about how you didn't want your second soulmate, and that they would get between you and El. It kind of broke my heart a little." He swallowed, Mike's face saddening. He scooted forward so that he was next to Will, wrapping an arm around his waist, offering a silent comfort.

"So I tried to get over it. I... I was already attracted to you before I knew you were my soulmate. I already had feelings for you. But it never worked. They never went away, it just got stronger." At that, Mike put a hand to Will's jawline, turning his face to him; pulling him forward just a little. Mike dipped his head down and gave another short kiss to Will. It made some of the heaviness of the memories fade, his heart picking up. Will could get used to this.

"Go on, baby." Mike encouraged softy. Will swallowed, ears taking note of every time Mike called him a pet name. That was new. "You started to go on about not wanting another soulmate, that El was the only one you wanted. And it sunk that your words were true, you kept spending more and more time on her; you weren't really around much. It kind of really sucked..." Will admitted sadly, sighing.

He continued on. "And then, I would physically feel it. I would feel this heaviness in my chest and this coldness in the back of my head. I would stare at myself in the mirror sometimes, wondering what was wrong with me. Was I not good enough? I felt like a burden, an annoyance. Wondering how anybody could put up with me, and that you were right to abandon me. I wouldn't want to be around me either." Will admitted, his voice achingly quiet.

Mike wrapped his other arm around the front of Will's waist, holding him and laying his head against his shoulder. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. I know how I acted... and it's not okay. If I had known you were my soulmate... I would've never said those things. If I had realized how you were feeling... _god._ But I'm glad it's you. Beyond glad."

"So you're not mad?" Will asked in a small voice. Mike immediately shook his head. "Only at myself. I hurt you, badly. I was being dumb. I'm meant to be with you. I should've realized that before I even saw your mark. It makes a lot of sense, knowing now."

Will's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"You haven't been the only one battling attraction. I've been wrecked for months over wanting to hold and kiss you. I want to be with you, I'm not just kissing you because I realized you were my soulmate." Mike confessed.

Will pulled back and looked at Mike for a moment, his eyebrows raised in surprise. A sweet smile of adoration played on his lips, and he moved back to Mike. He leant up; tentatively connecting their lips, holding it for a second. After the kiss, Will sank down into Mike's chest, hugging him tightly. Like he was relieved.

Mike held him back just the same, rubbing his back. After a moment, Will spoke up again. "Hey Mike?"

"Hmm?" Mike asked, feeling at content and calm, hands still gently grazing Will's back.

"What about El?" He asked timidly, carefully. "She might not like sharing you."

Mike could hear the anxiety in his tone, most definitely scared of Mike being taken from him now that he finally, _finally_ had him. Mike moved his hands from Will's back to grip his hips, plucking Will up with a little struggle and placing him in his lap, pressing a light kiss to his temple. "Well, she'll have to adjust to it. There's no way I'm leaving you now, Will."

Will sighed, pleased. He let his head fall into the crook of Mike's neck. But Mike had one last thing to get off his chest. He turned his head, a little uncomfortably so he could look at Will's face. "I love you." Mike confessed softly, kissing Will. He couldn't seem to stop kissing Will if he was honest. Like trying to make up for lost time. When he backed up, Will's face was a mixture of disbelief, surprise, and pure adoration.

"I love you too." Will breathed back, the sweetest smile Mike had ever seen showing on his face. Cautiously, Mike moved his hand to Will's hip, lifting the shirt there and passing his thumb over Will's soulmark. The sparks he felt then were absolutely electrifying. The connection was definitely there. Strong, fluttering emotions were surging up in Mike's chest, making his throat close up. Not in a bad way, though. However tears were popping up in his eyes. He guessed it was his turn to cry, now.

Will immediately noticed the tears as they began to fall. Will's hands flew up to Mike's face in an instant, holding his cheeks gently as he swiped at the tears. "Oh no, Mikey, don't cry! It's alright, what's wrong darling?"

Mike wrapped his arms around Will's midsection shakily. All emotions were hitting him at once. The love he'd been holding for Will, the pain he had caused Will biting him back in regret, guilt. The joy that he had Will now, the clarity of things now that he knew. Will was doing everything he could to soothe Mike, running his hands through his hair, kissing at his cheeks and nose, his lips. Look at him. Will was comforting Mike when in reality Will was the one who had been burned, he was the one who deserved comfort. Mike just wanted to surround Will, to hold him tightly so he'd never slip away; to kiss him until all of his pain faded.

Will was incredibly selfless and loving. He was so sweet, it was all very endearing. Will had had so many awful things try and drag him down in his life, so many things he didn't deserve, yet here he was. Alive and well. Sweet, intelligent, strong and still placing Mike before himself. Mike tried to get a hold of himself, beginning to pepper kisses back to Will. The gestures made Will giggle a little and begin to duck away, but Mike chased after him.

Eventually the boys settled down, Mike lying on his back with Will snuggled up against him once more. Mike stroked a hand down his side repeatedly, and just looking down at the beautiful boy. Mike was feeling a lot of different things at once. Contentment and euphoria at being able to hold Will, spend time with him, because Will forgave him, Will was his. However, just because Will forgave him didn't mean he was off the hook.

Will wasn't angry at him anymore, Will was an angel for that. But Mike had damaged him, badly. Will's talk of doubting himself, the negative light he held himself in was haunting Mike. And Will was probably hurting more than he let on. Mike was going to try his best to pick up the pieces of the boy he broke, starting today. And he didn't mind one bit. Will grounded him, and Mike was going to ground Will.

Will let out a yawn, and Mike raised the hand at Will's side to caress his cheek. "Getting tired love?" He asked. Will nodded sleepily. "A little, but I don't want to go to sleep yet." Will let out, but it was a little slurred. Will was more in need of sleep than he was showing.

"I'm tired, too. We both need to sleep." Mike softly insisted. Will looked like he wanted to argue, wanting to spend as much time with Mike as he could, so Mike continued with assuring words. "I'll be right here in the morning, okay? We have all the time in the world to spend together."

Will reluctantly nodded in agreeance, slowly rising and sitting up. "I've got to go brush my teeth." He explained, getting up off the bed. Mike had already brushed his teeth, but Will didn't need to know that. Brushing them again wouldn't hurt, and Mike didn't want to be apart from Will right now; not even for a moment. So he decided to follow. "I'm coming too."

The smaller teen slipped out of the room first, Mike right behind him. The hall was a little small, so he couldn't walk directly next to him. Instead, he got up behind his shoulder and slipped his hand into Will's. The other boy's fingers curled around his and squeezed gently, bringing a smile to Mike's face.

He had to let go once they got into the bathroom, both reaching out and grabbing their toothbrushes. Toothpaste was applied and they set to work on scrubbing and cleaning their mouths. Once finished, each of them bent and spit.

When Will stood straight again, Mike looked at him in the mirror then ducked and pressed his lips to his. Mike felt him smile a little into the kiss, which caused a feeling of adoration to pop up in the back of his head.

When they got back to the bedroom, Will made a beeline for his bed. He slipped in under the covers, snuggling down. Mike ignored the space that had been set up for him before Will's mark had been revealed, pulling Will's covers down like the other boy had and scooting in. Will let out a tiny squeak, a sound not often heard from 17 year olds. "Mike, what're you doing?" He asked, a little surprised but not sounding against the actions.

"I don't want to sleep on the floor, I'd much rather sleep next to you. Is that okay?" Mike responded, then worried that he might've overstepped. The whole soulmate thing was still very new. "If not, I understand. I'll-"

Will stopped him. "No, Mike, of course it's okay. I was just surprised, that's all. I want you to stay."

Mike's face went soft, and he finished getting into the bed. He propped himself up just a little, looking at Will and lifting his arm up so Will could wriggle underneath it. He rolled into him, and Mike tucked his arm along his back, holding him and tucking him even closer. He could feel Will's chest rising and falling, hear him softly breathing puffs of air against him. It eased the ache in Mike's chest, and he took his other arm and held it around Will's hips to completely engulf his soulmate. _Soulmate. Will Byers was his soulmate._ Mike was beginning to like the ring of that.

He began to feel the pull of sleep on his mind. His heart was beating at a steady, calm pace, in sync with the boy lying in his arms. Darkness overtook him, and he was soon dreaming of pleasant scenarios.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are Tuesday and Friday!  
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> Tumblr: @bylerarmy  
> Youtube: FandomMom


	6. Contentment

When Will opened his eyes, he was alone. Greeted with nothing but the empty space of his room. The bed was warmer than usual, but there was no one with him. He furrowed his eyebrows, struggling to a sitting position above his bed. Where was Mike? He was here yesterday. Will had accidentally revealed his soulmark, but Mike wasn't angry. No, he'd kissed Will, held him and told him he _loved_ him. He'd fallen asleep in Mike's arms. But as he looked around, there was no sign of Mike. Even his bag wasn't on the floor. Will began to panic.

That wasn't a dream, was it? It _couldn't_ be. His mind wouldn't torment him like that. It wouldn't come up with something that good, something that felt that real. Will pushed himself out of bed, feet flat on the floor as he walked to the door of his room. He gently opened it and ducked his head out, looking down both sides of the hall. Still no sign of Mike, and the house was quiet.

Tears began to prick at Will's eyes as he turned to go back into his room. It was a dream, wasn't it? Mike never showed up for their sleepover. It was too good to be true. Or what if Mike realized he didn't want Will as his soulmate, that he made a mistake and he fled? At this point, Will felt anxiety prickling at the back of his head and his world began to sway as tears ran down his cheeks.

He hiccuped as he tried to take in breaths. None of it was real. Will had somehow managed to trick himself that Mike would actually want him. The clawing pain was making a comeback, and he pressed his hands into his eyes as the walls came crashing down. He cried, moving his hands up to his temples and pressing there. His breathing was coming out ragged now, letting out quiet sobs.

He thought he heard the door creak open, but he didn't look. The sound stopped and there was a pause before feet could be heard padding across the floor in a hurried manner once taking in Will's state. A weight dipped in the bed beside Will. "Will! Will baby, what's wrong?" A male voice asked as an arm curled around his waist. The voice was one that Will would recognize anywhere. Mike's.

Will opened his eyes and was met with wide, concerned brown eyes. Mike was there.

"You're still here." Will breathed out in relief.

Mike's face softened. "Of course I am."

"I woke up... and you weren't here. I saw no sign of you and I panicked, I thought I had made the entirety of yesterday up or something." Will confessed, a little embarrassed.

Mike shook his head and moved closer, kissing right under Will's jaw affectionately. "I'm sorry, I just really had to pee. I brought my bag with me so I could clean myself up a little. I didn't think that you'd wake up."

Will in turn shook his head and took Mike's hand in his. He'd stressed Mike out with his dramatics. "No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten so worked up. I guess I'm just... scared."

"Hey, no, don't apologize." Mike started, pulling their joined hands to his chest. "I understand. You have every right to be worried or afraid." He comforted. It was true, if he had suffered through what Will had, he'd be scared too. When you just get used to bad things happening to you, so when something good happens, you're just waiting to see if it gets taken away.

Will still hung his head, leaning forward a little to rest it on Mike's shoulder. He let go of the smaller boy's hand so he could hold him by the waist, his hands rubbing his back soothingly. He was going to be there and make sure Will felt secure from now on. Mike slowly coaxed Will into lying back down with him, running his hands carefully through his hair affectionately. He heard Will let out a contented sigh.

Mike asked Will what he wanted to do that day, and Will piped up, a little surprised. "You're staying today, too?"

"Of course! I want to spend time with you, love. Unless you don't want me too, then I'll-"

"No! Stay, please." Will stopped him, a little desperation in his tone.

Mike kissed his temple. "I will, baby."

Eventually they worked their way out of the bedroom, Joyce at work again. They decided to pull out the pancake batter to make for breakfast. The cooking involved flicking ingredients at one another, Mike swooping Will up by his waist and swinging him around (carefully of course); and both boys laughing until their sides hurt.

After breakfast, the boys decided to go back into Will's room to ease into the morning. Will had a mixtape playing softly while he worked in his sketchbook, Mike flipping through a comic lazily. Eventually Mike put the comic book down to drape his arm across Will's chest, watching Will as he sketched and admiring his skills. There was a calm, content atmosphere that settled, one with joy intermixed in it. Mike lent up and kissed the side of Will's face fondly. The smile that broke out on Will's face caused Mike's heartbeat to pick up the pace.

Eventually they had sauntered back into the kitchen, deciding to pull out Uno after going through Will's collection of games. Normally their first choice would be Dungeons and Dragons, but they wouldn't play that without Dustin and Lucas; plus they didn't have a campaign built up.

"We should have a Dungeons and Dragons night soon. It's been forever since we've had one of those." Will mused as they brought the cards to the table, Mike's hand on the small of his back. He nodded, agreeing. It really had been a while. Mike missed it.

"Do you want to work on a campaign together soon?" Mike asked. Normally, Mike was the only one who actually made up the campaigns, as he was the Dungeon Master. But Mike could use Will's creative input, and it'd give him a chance to spend time with Will and bond over something again.

Will looked up from his shuffling with his eyebrows raised, clearly thinking the same thing- that Mike was usually the one to make these things up- before he picked up on Mike's motive. He smiled and nodded, saying they could plan out the details later before beginning to pass out cards.

They played a couple rounds of Uno; which between normal friends might lead to yelling and aggravation, but with Mike and Will, only led to laughing and joking insults. Uno rounds always took a while, so by the time they chose to put the game up, it was about time for lunch.

The boys fixed plain peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, snagging goldfish and lemonade to have with it. "Do you want to watch a movie?" Mike asked, nudging Will lightly in the arm.

Will nodded as he chewed. "Sounds good."

During the movie however, Mike kept finding that his focus was shifting. It kept moving to the boy right beside him and their situation at hand. They needed to tell El that Will was his soulmate too. Mike was honestly a little afraid of her reaction. Even before they knew they were soulmates, El was extremely possessive. He never really minded before, but now? She might not react well. But Mike also knew that there was no way he would leave Will now, no matter what her reaction was. Mike was in love with Will too, deeply so, and Will had already been expended enough of his emotional state.

Mike ran his thumb over the knuckles of the hand he was holding as he spoke up. He found his throat dry. "Uh, hey Will.... we should probably tell El about this soon, huh?"

Mike felt a little ashamed of the nerves kicking him in the stomach. Will looked at him, and while Mike was afraid Will might be mad at him for his uncertainty, he saw solemn understanding flash in his eyes. He squeezed his hand. "Honestly, Mike. There's no rush. If you're uncomfortable about telling-"

"No! Will, it's not that." Mike rushed to explain, not wanting Will to think he wanted to hide him. "I'm not ashamed of us or anything. It's just..."

Will nodded. "Trust me, Mike. I get it. It's scary and daunting. Soulmates are a very serious thing that can heavily affect your emotional state. You don't want to upset or anger the one you love."

Mike's heartbeat quickened just a step as he looked at his soulmate, dopamine and serotonin flooding his mind. Will understood, and Mike couldn't be more grateful for it. Although, Will's words: "the _one_ you love" kind of bothered him. It sounded as if he was downplaying himself, that Mike loved El and was just doting on Will because of their soulmate connection. Mike loved _both._ And Mike couldn't let Will think for a second that he didn't love him. He turned himself just a bit to dive forward and lock his lips to Will's. They stayed connected for a few seconds, Mike raising his hand to place it on Will's shoulder, pulling him in more before Mike pulled away softly. When he did, he immediately blurted, "I love you."

Will's eyes opened and immediately softened, and Mike knew he was feeling the same thing. "I love you too." He breathed out softly, a little shaky. The taller boy smiled and kissed him again, sweet and slow. Mike eventually leaned back, pulling Will with him so they could snuggle more into the couch. The movie kept playing, but neither was paying much attention to it. Instead, their thoughts were on trading kisses and giving one another affection.

\------------------------

Later, when Mike got tucked up into bed with Will cradled in his arm, he made a decision. As much as he hated having to put it off, he thought it was best to wait at least a few days to tell El. Mostly so Mike could figure out what to say to her, and so he could think about what he would do if she... didn't react well. No matter what happened though, Mike wasn't leaving Will. And Mike wasn't going to wait too long to tell her; Will deserved much better than to be hidden. He was a treasure, not a dirty little secret. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I spook you at the beginning of the chapter??? Oops.


	7. Progression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yee yee I almost forgot it was Tuesday

The boys spent the entire weekend together, and on Sunday night when Mike had to leave; he kissed Will goodbye, then kissed him again for good measure. A promise to see him soon. It left Will smiling until he went to bed.

Will arrived to school early that Monday morning, like he usually did. His mom had to get to work on time, so Will was always a few minutes earlier than the others most of the time. It didn't make him nervous like it used too; there were no assholes harassing the Party anymore. He got his things situated in his locker, closing it, then leaning up against it with a book in hand.

Not long after, he saw the lanky form of a teen walking towards him. When Will turned his head to take the person in fully, his suspicions were confirmed. Mike had shown up, and the sweet smile that appeared on his face when Will looked at him made his heart jump in his chest. Well, if he wasn't awake before, he certainly was now.

Mike strolled right up to Will, glancing around a little to see if there was anyone looking. "Morning, Angel." He finally said when he found no one, leaning forward to give Will a sweet little kiss. Then he drew Will into him, holding him for a moment before letting go.

"I missed you." Mike announced- something Will wasn't really expecting to hear. Regardless, it sent those chemicals to his stomach again; bringing a smile he couldn't contain. "You're too sweet. You just saw me last night." Will commented, only teasing. This must be what being happily in love is like.

"Yeah, but well... it's the truth." Mike admitted, a little embarrassed it seemed. Will picked up on it and quickly moved to slip his hand into Mike's. "Hey. I missed you too."

Mike smiled at Will's response, squeezing his hand. "I uh, gotta put my things away. Come with me to my locker?" He asked. Will nodded his head and Mike led the way, keeping Will's hand in his. They had a few more minutes alone together before the rest of the party began to show up. Dustin came first, then Max. When El showed up, she latched herself onto Mike's side; Mike taking her under his arm but glancing nervously at Will. Will just nodded his head and focused in on his conversation with Dustin, carefully trusting Mike to not forget him.

Sometimes though, when Will looked back to Mike, he'd find Mike looking right back at him.

Later, Mike and El came up to the lunch table, chit-chatting as they sat down next to one another, across from Will. Will looked up from where he was opening his milk carton to see Mike looking at him, the taller boy shooting him a soft smile. Will did his best to match it before returning to his lunch. They were waiting to tell El. Which honestly, Will didn't mind much. But that fear of Mike forgetting him again and leaving him behind for her still lingered in the back of his head.

Will stayed quiet, waiting for the others to arrive. He honestly wasn't sure how he should act, so he decided to opt out of saying anything. He felt Mike's knee bump against his once, twice. The tables were small, so Will brushed it off as accidental. But when it happened a third time, he looked up to see Mike eyes shifting to him again. When Will met his eyes, he could see his arm move. Suddenly a hand had stretched into Will's lap, which he almost jumped back at until he realized it was Mike's. The other boy's hand carefully felt around for a moment, trying not to be too invasive before it landed on Will's hand. It slipped under it, holding the smaller hand with care. Will intertwined his fingers with Mike's, the soft feeling of adoration filling in his chest.

\-------------------------------

On Wednesday, Mike was sat next to Will; the lanky boy leaning a little to whisper in his soulmate's ears. "Hey Angel, do you want to go to the Arcade with me tonight? Like... as a date?"

When he heard those words, Will grabbed Mike's hand under the table. Despite the fact that they were basically already together, the word 'date' threw him off. It would be the first date Will had ever been on.

"That sounds great, Mike." Will whispered back, letting out a small giggle. Mike smiled at him, whispered that he'd pick him up around six and then returned to the conversation with the Party.

Later, Will was freaking out a little. Should Will dress normally or dress up a little because it was a date? How should he act? Will had no idea, he'd never been on something like this before! He was tempted to call Jonathan and ask him, but Will didn't want to bother him. His brother was always busy with school or work.

Eventually, Will decided to go with casual but nice. He picked out black jeans and a blue flannel with his best pair of sneakers. He spent a little bit more time than usual brushing back his hair, placing it more to the left side and adding a small amount of gel to keep it in place. It helped frame his face, his mother said. He brushed his teeth twice then rinsed with mouth wash. Will then ventured back into his room and applied a couple of spritz of cologne. He used deodorant every day of course, but only really used cologne for rare, special occasions.

When Will finally stopped his fretting, there were only about ten minutes before Mike was due to arrive. Will knew it would probably go well, they were only going to the arcade (which was perfect), it was just Mike, they'd known each other forever. But that didn't stop his nerves.

He played his boombox softly as he waited, it helped soothe him. It wasn't long until Will heard the sound of a car rolling up to the house. Glancing out the window for the security, he was sure it was Mike's car. As he made his way to the door, he briefly looked at the clock. 5:56. Mike was 4 minutes early, which for some reason, made Will smile.

As Mike began to walk up, Will opened the door. The taller teen stopped when he got up to the porch, taking Will in. "Hey. You look nice." He commented as he leaned forward to plant a kiss on Will's lips.

Will let out a little laugh. "Thank you- you do too." Mike had changed his clothes as well from when he'd seen him at school, and his hair was a little neater. Well- Mike always looks nice no matter what, but Will wasn't going to voice that out loud. Mike just smiled at him in response and stretched out his hand for Will to take. "You ready to go?"

Will nodded and intertwined his fingers with Mike's. They headed to Mike's car, Will sliding into the passenger seat. They held light banter on the drive to The Palace. When they were there, they wound up playfully fighting over who payed for what. They wound up in a system where they switched off on paying for games; but Mike would always pull Will to the games he knew were the cheapest to play when he knew Will would pay for the play. Will picked up on it but decided to let it slide; it was sweet, thoughtful.

At some points, Mike casually placed his hands on Will's hips behind him as he watched him play. Or one of them would slip their hand into the other's free one. Throughout the night, they both passed small gestures of affection to one another. They couldn't really be too affectionate with one another in public; not everyone was accepting. Some people only accepted same sex couples if they were soulmates; and while Will and Mike were soulmates, most people didn't know that. They were young to have already found each other. Which was funny, because they'd been close since they were five years old.

As the night continued on, Mike grew more nervous for what he was planning to do after they left the arcade. He was going to ask Will to be his boyfriend- officially. They were already together romantically, but Mike wanted to make it more solid. El already had significant other status- Will deserved it too. He knew Will would say yes, that Will wanted it. But it was still daunting.

The two left the arcade hand in hand. Mike waited to bring up the subject as he drove home, and they ended up at the Byers' home before he'd realized it. Before Will could get out of the car, he spoke up. "Will, wait. I want to ask you something important."

Will furrowed his eyebrows but sat back down in the seat, shutting the door. "What is it? Is everything okay?" He asked. Mike could sense the slight fright in his voice.

"Yeah, everything's more than okay." Mike let out first to calm Will. "Listen- I know we haven't been together very long, only a couple of days, but I couldn't be happier." Mike took Will's hand in his. It helped calm his heart rate. "I know I've messed up a lot. But I really, really love you. My angel. I... I wanted to know if you maybe wanted to make things more solid, more official. You're my soulmate, but I wanted to know if you wanted to be my boyfriend...?" Mike looked away as he got to the end, nerves getting the best of him.

Will squeezed his hand. "Mike, love. Look at me." He said, adoration clear in his tone. Mike turned his body to take more of Will in. But instead of saying anything, Will leaned forward and kissed him. Mike could feel Will trying to pack emotions into it; gratitude, serenity, hope, love. Mike kissed right back, raising his hand to place it at the back of his cheek; his fingers curling very gently around his neck and jawline. The single kiss turned into a chain of kisses, and the raven haired boy could feel the smaller smiling lightly into them.

After a minute, they needed to part for air. Will sat back a little. "Mike, of course I want to be your boyfriend. That's not even a question."

Mike brightened, his breathing coming easier now. After a minute, they went back inside. Joyce was home by now, but it wasn't long before she retired to her room. Mike snuggled up together with Will on the couch, the smaller boy in his lap. Things were fantastic, Mike was ecstatic, but they still had another battle to face.

\--------------------------

Mike had told Will he was ready whenever he was. Will hesitated at first, but then nodded along; knowing they couldn't hide it much longer. Will was nervous, though. It was a Saturday when Mike asked Eleven to come over. Will was already there; he'd slept at Mike's house the night before. That morning, Will had woken up next to Mike, receiving a smile and a kiss first thing. El was on her way now, and they were waiting.

Mike looked over, noticing Will's tense stature. He placed a hand around his bicep, rubbing his thumb over the area. "Baby, what's the matter?"

Will looked down and swallowed but didn't say anything; hesitating. Mike switched positions, moving in front of him to face the smaller teen. Lovingly, he brushed a hand against Will's cheek. He looked up and Mike could see that there were tears swimming in his eyes. "Will, love, I know something's wrong. Talk to me."

"I'm... scared, Mike." Will's voice was small when he said it. "What if El doesn't react well? What if... she makes you choose between me and her? I don't want to lose you." By the ending, Will sounded very close to breaking.

Mike moved fast to comfort him. "Hey, no." He started, moving in and kissing him fondly. Part of him was relieved when he felt Will kissing back. He slowly pulled away after a few moments, only to pull Will into an embrace; tucking the smaller teen up against his chest while he rested his head along Mike's shoulder. "Listen, I'm scared too. I really don't want to upset El. I love her." He felt Will tense in his arms. Mike tightened his grip just a little, rubbing at Will's back soothingly. "But no matter what happens, I'm never gonna leave you. Both of you are my soulmates for a reason, and I'm supposed to be with both of you. I love you, Will."

Will trusted him on his word; letting Mike just hold him for a couple of moments before they heard the doorbell rang. El had arrived, Mike's mom sending her down to the basement. Mike got up to greet her, while Will lingered a bit behind. "Hey, El." Mike spoke when he reached her, taking her in his arms for a moment and kissing her cheek. "Hey." She responded simply. When he let go, she peered over Mike's shoulder. "Hi Will." She also greeted.

Instead of saying anything, he just gave a small wave. Mike turned his attention to the couch and chairs. "Come on, El. Let's sit down. We have something we need to talk to you about."

They sat down on the couch, and Will made his move to sit on the chair next to the couch. However, Mike didn't seem too fond of the idea, because he grabbed Will's hand as he tried to slip past him; pulling the smaller teen down right next to him.

"So, El. You know that I have two soulmarks, matching me with you and with someone else..." Mike began, taking her hand. "Last week, when I was sleeping over at Will's... he was changing, I snuck in without thinking. I saw his mark and... Will matches my other mark. Will is my other soulmate. I found him." Mike finished, looking back to Will with a soft smile as he took his hand too.

They waited for Eleven to say something. She took a minute before speaking up. "I thought you didn't want your second soulmate."

Will felt his chest freeze up. She didn't sound happy, that was for sure. "I was wrong." Mike voiced almost instantaneously, squeezing Will's hand. "I have two soulmates for a reason. I'm supposed to be with both of you. _I love you. Both of you."_ Mike responded calmly, but Will could see past the surface. Mike was worried, about both Eleven and Will.

"Mike, I don't know what to say." El started. "I thought you wanted to be with me." Her tone sharpening when she spoke.

"I do!" Will could hear him getting upset, which in turn sent Will rolling in a panic. Will rubbed his thumb over Mike's knuckles comfortingly while also trying to calm himself down. _'Mike promised. He promised, he promised, he promised.'_ Will chanted in his head, trying to keep his breathing steady. If there was one thing Mike didn't need right now, it was Will having a panic attack.

Distantly, Will could hear Mike speak up again, but he was having a little trouble focusing on the words when he was frozen up. "Listen, El... this isn't changing how I feel about you at all. I love you, so much. You're still my soulmate. I still want to be with you, hug and kiss you and spend time with you. But Will is my soulmate too, and I love him just as much. I'll still treat you the same, you'll be my soulmate and my girlfriend. But Will is also my soulmate, my boyfriend as well. I'll be spending time with him." Mike was considerate but firm in his wording.

Eleven hesitated. "I... alright. I guess this was going to happen eventually. Your soul is meant to belong to me and to Will. It's going to take some getting used too for me, I think. But I'll try."

Mike let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Now come here." She got up, Mike pulling her down by the wrist to kiss her. She sat down on the other side of Mike, leaning up against him. Mike turned his head to press a kiss to Will's lips as well, but stopped when taking in his state. "Hey, Will. Angel..."

Will turned his head and looked at Mike quickly, hazel eyes wide. He hadn't really heard what had just gone down, panic rolling out in his stomach. He was more focused on not freaking out than anything. Mike picked up on it. He lifted Will's hand with his own, looking him in the eyes. "Hey, love, it's okay. We did it. Everything is fine."

Will let out a breath. Everything was fine. He wasn't gonna lose Mike again. He let himself collapse slightly onto Mike; lying his head into the crook of Mike's neck. He sighed against him as he felt Mike's arm snake around his waist, cuddling up to him. Things were finally settling. Will could finally breathe easy, knowing his happiness wouldn't be knocked away from him.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so... I know it's been like four months, I am so sorry. I know how much it sucks to be waiting for an update, especially if it's the last one. But I've just finished my Senior year of High School. It's summer now! Also, I became assistant director of a musical which took all of my time and energy, so I really didn't have much time for writing :/  
> But, this story is finished now! I hope you've all enjoyed it and thank you so much for sticking with me!  
> Also, have any of you watched or read Good Omens? Because I. Love. It. Crowley and Aziraphale are so cute. Bless them, married for 6,000 years.  
> If you want to see what I'm up to regarding Byler, my instagram is @_bylerarmy_ and my tumblr is @bylerarmy

The three decided that after the heavy moment, they needed something to take the weight off their shoulders. The three decided to head out to the Ice Cream Parlor in Starcourt Mall. Starcourt Mall had been rebuilt after it was destroyed three years ago.

Will panicked a little at first, exclaiming that he didn't have any money with him. Mike pacified his concerns, insisting that he would cover it for all three of them. Will hesitated at the offer at first but then gave in. Once the three had their shoes on and were ready to go, they headed out the front door, walking.

Mike took Eleven under his arm while they were walking. By force of habit, Will fell a little behind; a bit disheartened. He shoved his hands in his pockets, holding a sigh. The newfound realization probably wouldn't change much. He might be Mike's second soulmate, but Eleven would always come first to Mike. Nothing new there.

However, Will was surprised when Mike suddenly stopped, doubling back to where he was. Mike's free arm reached out and snaked around Will's waist, pulling him up against Mike. "You're allowed to walk with me too." Mike's tone was light, teasing. Will smiled a little cheekily, shrugging. "Oh, well... you know." His tone dropped a little at the end; because after all, Will was still a little unsure, insecurities still lingering. Healing takes time.

Mike's eyes roved over his face for a moment, slightly saddened. Then, he leaned forward, planting a soft kiss to the side of Will's face.

When the trio got to the ice cream shop, they took a seat at a round table- Mike in the middle. A static-ish tension was present between Eleven and Will, but it didn't feel angry necessarily. Things were just going to take some time.

\------------------------

"Me and Will are soulmates." Mike suddenly dropped at the lunch table. He heard Will let out a gush of breath beside him, the smaller teen's posture stiffening. With a hand already in El's, he interlocked his other fingers with Will's to steady him. Everyone froze for a moment, stunned. Dustin, who was in the middle of taking a bite from his fork, spoke up first. "Oh. Yeah, we know."

Mike spluttered. "How did you--? What?"

"Uh, we kinda found out because we noticed how miserable Will was. We might have pressured him a little into telling us? But we knew he needed our support." Lucas piped up to explain.

A small stab of guilt flashed through Mike and he gripped a little tighter at Will's hand. "Although, when did you find out?? We thought you didn't know. What's the story??" Max asked, raising an eyebrow in interest.

Mike looked to Will for permission to share the details. He found Will's eyes already on him. Will saw what he was getting at, and gave Mike a small nod. He squeezed his hand. "Tell them."

"Well, I uh... you know a couple of weeks ago when Will and I finally hung out? I slept at his house... I snuck in while he was changing and saw his mark. My heart stopped. Now before any of you start, I know all of the shit things I used to say about not wanting a second soulmate, and that I didn't want anything to do with them. But to tell you the truth, I was scared. I love El, but that entire time I was feeling weird. I was heavily attracted to Will as well, I wanted to be with him too. Which freaked me out, I didn't understand it. El is one of my soulmates and I was scared of having two. But I wanted it to be him. I wanted my second soulmate to be him." Mike sighed, recalling.   
Will cut in carefully during the pause. "You all know how scared I was. You knew how I felt. When Mike saw my mark I totally panicked and started to cry."   
The three other Party members tensed. "But I wasn't mad at Will! Not at all. I confessed how I felt for him. We've been together ever since then." Mike assured them, letting go of Will's hand just to wrap his around his shoulder, pulling him in closer. Will let himself fall into Mike's side. Mike could feel Will's heart beating a little quicker, which in turn made his go.  
Max gave a happy small smile to them. "Awe. I'm glad it worked out, I'm happy to see that you're happy." But her expression changed as she said her next piece. "But do us all a favor please, Mike. Don't break Will's heart again."   
Mike shook his head. "I'd rather break my own heart before I broke his. I love Will."   
When he said that, Will turned his head more into Mike's neck to hide his face. Mike could feel little puffs of air on his collarbone. That processed for a second in everyone. Dustin smiled, Lucas gave a nod.   
Dustin's attention shifted to El. "El? How are you feeling about all of this?" He asked gently.  
Eleven straightened up in her seat, taking a moment to choose her words. "Well... I'm still getting used to it. It's definitely a change. But I think I want it to be Will I'm sharing Mike with rather than anyone else."

The Party nodded at her response respectfully. The situation was still fragile, tensions were still in tact but they were dissolving. Things were getting better- everything was going to be great. Will was starting to feel more sure of himself, like he was standing on much more solid ground- being held in Mike's arms. He finally had what he'd been aching to have for so long. Mike was happy, he was no longer fighting against his emotions. He was spending time with El and with Will, taking care of both of them while giving them love. He was worried at first, El didn't seem happy about the new arrangement, acting rather possessive and jealous; but she accepted it, things were beginning to return to normal. Besides, when Mike was able to kiss El and see her brighten, then was able to envelope Will in his arms and see him blush and smile sweetly, Mike knew this was the way it was meant to be.

After a while, things balanced out. El didn't get jealous or possessive anymore, Mike was no longer conflicted and was content, Will felt more secure with more peace of mind. That trust was beginning to rebuild, becoming stronger than it was before.

\----------------------

**Year:** **1991, All three are 21 years of age.**

Mike crept back into the kitchen, the light above the sink giving off a source of light. Will stood at the table, making touches on an art project for college. Mike had moved to New York with El and Will. Mike worked in an office during the day, while El had started going to school for a degree in psychology, Will was earning his in the arts. Both of Mike's soulmates worked part time, each of them helping pull their weight for the bills.

It was late at night, the light in the kitchen was the only one on in the house. El had already gone to bed a while ago, but Mike couldn't sleep without Will. They were currently in an oscillating system, the three of them each had their own bedroom but one would share Mike's bed one day, then switch off. This was likely a temporary solution until they got a King sized bed in Mike's room.

Mike snuck up behind Will, slipping his hands under Will's arms to hug him, laying his head in the smaller's shoulder. "Will, come to bed..."

A soft sigh came from Will. "Sweetheart... I really should try to finish this." He said, but Mike felt him melting in his arms. Will was overworking himself. Mike moved forward a little, peppering Will's cheek and neck in little light kisses.

"Baby, it's late. You're tired. I want to snuggle up with you. Please???" Mike softly persuaded.

Will couldn't say no. He let out a small chuckle, "Alright, alright. You got me, let's go to bed."

Mike smiled lightly at his small victory, moving to turn the light off before taking Will by the hand. The pair made their way to the bedroom, Will changing into tartan pajamas that were just long enough to cover his hands.

Mike got into bed first, Will shuffling  behind him. Mike turned a little on his side, opening his arms for Will to climb into. Will didn't hesitate, clambering up into the sheets. Once Will was settled, Mike wrapped him in his arms tightly. Lying with your soulmate had to be the most comfortable feeling in the world. 

Will yawned almost immediately after settling in Mike's arms, his body was tired; the only thing now was to calm his mind enough to sleep. So, Mike reached up and gently started running his fingers through his light brown hair. Over the years, Mike had found that doing this relaxed Will like nothing else could.

"I love you." Will let out softly.

Mike felt his chest swell. "I love you, too." He responded, pressing a kiss to his temple. 

Will was quick to fall asleep, his slowing breaths indicating the fact. Mike was glad for it, he could really use the rest. Their anniversary was coming up soon, had it already been four years since they'd gotten together? Time had gone by too quickly. Mike remembers the year that he'd found he had two soulmarks, it had gone by agonizingly slowly as he waited for his second soulmate to make themselves known. It turned out to be a blessing, not a curse, as Mike had worried once. Mike was eternally grateful to have both of the loves of his life by his side everyday.

With that thought, hearing Will's soft breathing, Mike followed suite in drifting off.


End file.
